


Te Amo

by Sir_Mantra



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Anal, Angst, Blow Jobs, Gay Sex, Homophobia, M/M, Potential OOC?, Teasing, btw leon and takumi are like 17, lots of issues, stuff and things, uMMMmm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-15 01:04:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4587141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sir_Mantra/pseuds/Sir_Mantra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because Leon knew how wrong it was and so it would have to end eventually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Te Amo

**Author's Note:**

> I smell boys being gay and emotionally disturbed
> 
> mmm wow this story is long and sort of weird. um the ending seems rushed but i kind of like it. also i apologise for the excessive amounts of italics (particularly 'oh gods'... oh gods) and ellipses and hyphens... so much drama... i just did it again... please send help... 
> 
> don't hesitate to inform me if i have messed up anywhere / need improvements! this includes the narrative itself, potential ooc-ness, written expression, word choices, boringness, music and traditional japanese music knowledge, etc.
> 
> enjoy!

 

**Te Amo**

_He's scared to breathe._

* * *

"Ahhh, Takumi..."

Leon's body was resting against his double bed's headboard, the many pillows propped up on each other providing Leon some sort of comfort; the Prince of Nohr knew it would be simply _awful_ if his back was to ache now. Mentally, he thanked the Gods above that before all of _this_  — whatever _this_ was defined in their young, curious minds — the two Princes had had some coherency and intellect to set up properly for comfort's sake.

Especially since what Takumi was doing to his dick did not have Leon thinking straight.

“L-Leon,” Takumi panted, hoisting himself up and down on Leon’s dick. Compared to earlier, Takumi had slowed down a lot now, having worn himself out earlier with his frantic bucking, but the Hoshidan Prince still retained some decent speed. In fact, Leon mentally praised Takumi and his amazing stamina. How Takumi had lasted so long, he didn't know, but Leon knew, with a begrudging feeling, that this was all to end soon.

"Ah, Leon! Ah ah ahhh..." 

Takumi's hands were sprawled on Leon's chest as he quivered and panted and gasped for air, his bucking declining into a much slower pace, but he kept on going on and on, eyes squeezed shut and face painfully red, desperate moans resounding off the walls and echoing in Leon's ears, Leon's mind fogged over with a thick mist that clouded any reasonable judgement, his cock so so hard inside of Takumi that it almost _hurt_ —

And then he came.

It had happened so quickly, so unexpectedly, Leon thought, because normally he was able to control himself and yet it just — it just _came_ out of him without a moment's notice. His reaction to coming was so delayed that the only reason he knew he had come, besides that relieved feeling of release, was because of Takumi's high moans bubbling into almost low, feral groans that reverberated his entire body.

“Oh oh oh— _Leon!_ "

Then it was all over when Takumi flung his head back and followed soon after. Takumi, eyes squeezed shut and uncontrollable moans effortlessly falling out of his mouth, had quickly stroked his own cock until he felt completely satiated and came in his hand and leaked onto Leon's stomach.

For a moment so brief, Leon had wondered if his come was leaking out of Takumi's ass.

"Ah... ah... ahh..." Takumi's whines were beginning to fade out, the Prince hunched over Leon’s chest whilst he panted heavily. It was as if he was so desperately thirsty, but Leon knew his desire had been quenched.

For the time being.

Through quiet pants of his own and half-lidded eyes, Leon was entirely empathetic with Takumi's current state of exhaustion. Whenever the two were together, they would always make it a competition — albeit a _tiring_ competition — to see who would fall first. Ultimately, the score was tied, with Leon having lost this time, but regardless the two would end up completely deprived of energy and practically dead to the world.

Leon's eyes remained transfixed on the sweaty, messy Prince before him. His entire face was burnt a bright crimson colour, his eyes flickered droopily between open and close and his tied up hair had many strands stuck out in gravity-defying directions.

Takumi was a sight to behold.

After a few more moments of collecting their breaths, Takumi leaned close to Leon and kissed his lips. Leon responded naturally to the kiss, with eyes closed just like the man on top of him, as if he had been expecting it this whole time. Their lips, both so bruised and so sensitive, pressed deeply against each other. There were no tongues involved — just a slow, lazy kiss that the two languidly melted in. Leon's lips sparked, _tingled_ against Takumi's lips; it was the same exciting feeling on his lips that he experienced whenever Elise snuck him those rare sweets with the extra coating of pure sourness. It was that tickling sensation that made Leon kiss Takumi back harder, eliciting a vibrating moan from Takumi which caused all sorts of pleasure to overlay his sensitive lips.

_Just like those sour sweets..._

As Takumi pressed his hands even deeper onto Leon's chest — most likely for support, Leon thought — it was then that Leon's hazy mind truly appreciated Takumi's touch. The juxtaposing textures of Takumi's calloused yet strangely soft hands on him provided a refreshing and familiar feel that he could never quite get enough of. With just a simple, innocent touch, a swarm of butterflies magically crammed into his stomach and tickled the outside with their fluttering wings. Leon was pretty sure a few of the butterflies had escaped into his heart, too.

Eventually, Takumi pulled away from Leon. His eyes gradually opened, still so tired from everything, and a small smile shyly illuminated his face. Combined with his bright red cheeks and swollen lips, Takumi looked so...

He looked so...

"...Wow..." Takumi sighed, staring contently at Leon. Leon could only muster a slow nod of the head in agreement as he swallowed the saliva that had accumulated in his throat. Their eyes remained fixed on each other and Leon had never felt such a warm feeling spread in his chest before.

Absentmindedly, Leon reached out to one of the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of Takumi's ponytail and, with such delicacy and tenderness, tucked it behind Takumi's ear. His fingers were calloused — the magic that had been expelled from them for the greater fight of this country wearing them down, and he briefly wondered if he had used that same magic on this moment too because it was just so _magical_  — with no softness to them like Takumi's. The roughness of his body made Leon built to be a soldier, one who fought for the greater issues of his country, and Leon almost found it funny how it was that same body that was betraying his country right now by indulging in just about the worst sin his country forbid.

But the way Takumi was smiling now, his head resting on Leon's chest and his arms around his neck, almost convinced Leon that _all of this_ wasn't entirely wrong. How could it be when Takumi looked at him with such a smile?

Leon found himself obliviously caressing the back of Takumi's hair as his mind went elsewhere. His eyebrows were furrowed somewhat as he thought intently about the social conduct and traditional values of his home country. Despite his preoccupied mind, Leon still felt Takumi's faint heart beats against his chest. It was strange how Leon hadn't felt, well, _weird_ about their closeness, even though his thoughts were mostly focused on Nohr's strict laws regarding such intimacy. In fact, with Takumi so close to him — his soft breaths dissolving into a light sleep — everything felt relatively normal. Right, even.

As if Leon wasn't going against his entire country.

 _But what would everyone say if they found out? That their already weird brother was_ —

 _There_ , right _there_. That was it. That was what had conjured up this invisible poison to rise up to his throat like bile, to tease him into throwing up but backing out at the last moment like a God damn coward. Said gloopy poison was thick, suffocating his lungs as it consumed the entirety of his chest, the guilt personified in the thick toxic that now controlled his body and mind.

Leon had never felt so gross before.

And then with such a gentle voice — as if he was completely unaware of the destruction in Leon's mind — Takumi whispered so quietly, _so delicately_...

"...I love you, Leon."

Leon couldn't sleep that night. 

* * *

"I disagree with that, King Ryouma."

"Maybe that's because you do not have enough knowledge in this area to understand what is right, King Marx."

Leon sighed. This meeting between the Nohrian royalty and the Hoshidan royalty was, simply put, a disaster. It had initially been decided that the two sets of royalty — who were all sat opposite their parallels, although King Marx sat at one end of the table and King Ryouma at the other — would come together to discuss any improvements that could be made to their countries as a whole, which included architectural designs of new buildings and the removal of old buildings. New laws and the altering of traditions were to be discussed later on in the meeting, as the manifesto that they had been given earlier indicated, but so far it had been over an hour and the two Kings still hadn't concluded the first section of the meeting.

At this rate, they would be stuck in the meeting far past dinner time.

Resisting the urge to sigh, Leon tried his very best to focus on what was being discussed; he dismissed the passive-aggressive remarks that were being tossed to and fro from both Kings, their sly comments resembling that one game (hot potato, was it?) that Elise enjoyed. Instead, Leon tried his utmost best to listen to what was being discussed so that he could manipulate the information given and use said information to form his own opinion. Then when his opinion was formed, he would declare it and hopefully contribute to the conclusion of this debate. Finally, if the Gods were on his side, the meeting would progress to the second section concerning new laws and traditions, and Leon already had a few ideas regarding new laws and the changing of traditions.

 _Maybe this way it can finally be okay for Takumi and I to_ —

"Are you doubting my intellect, King Ryouma?"

"As much as I doubt that you are a suitable companion in uniting these two countries, King Marx."

The need to run away from this tedious meeting was far too great to ignore. It didn't help that no one — including himself, he admitted — were helping the situation. Instead, everyone else was either deadly silent or, in Elise's case, trying to 'subtly' (although it _wasn't_ because his little sister didn't seem to realise how loud she could be) get Princess Sakura's attention. For what reason, Leon did not know, but it was very distracting and he was surprised that no one had reprimanded her yet. Leon only sympathised with Princess Sakura, who was trying to silence Elise with a quiet 'ssh' which, unfortunately for the young girl, did little wonders.

It seemed that no one was going to calm the dangerous debate between the two Kings.

Absentmindedly, Leon found himself staring at the person before him. Takumi had been unusually quiet, especially when he was normally interested in these meetings. Instead, Takumi was staring at his lap, as if something interesting was there. Wait, what had Takumi so distracted? Or preoccupied? What was interesting Takumi much more than this extensive meeting—

 _Gods!_ What the _hell?_ What, who just — who just touched his leg?! And _why?_ They were at a _meeting!_

When Leon had looked up to see who the disturbing perpetrator was, he was met with Takumi's eyes flickering up from his lap to him. The small smirk that emerged on his lips informed Leon just who the criminal was.

Quickly looking either side of him — in which he noticed that both Camilla and Elise were distracted by the two Princesses before them and the two Kings were still loudly 'creatively discussing their differences in opinions' — Leon breathed a relieved sigh. Thank _Gods_ no one had saw that, otherwise— 

 _Gods!_ There it was _again_. Takumi's foot had managed to reach higher this time, gracing the bottom of Leon's thighs and drawing out a quiet gasp from Leon. With widened eyes, Leon looked offensively at the Prince of Hoshido. He didn’t — he _couldn’t_ understand why Takumi was doing this — of _all_ places where _anyone could see_  — instead of at least trying to listen to what was going on in the meeting. It wasn't like Takumi to ignore potentially important meetings in favour of messing around.

But Leon couldn't deny that what Takumi was doing felt good...

...Oh _Gods_ , that was _so_ wrong. Why the hell was he thinking like _that?_ That wasn't fair! He wasn't some horny guy! He was completely innocent! It was _Takumi_ who had started _this_  — _not him_ — so it wasn't like Leon had any fault in this whatsoever...

...It didn't help that Leon could literally _feel_ his cheeks burning whilst Takumi's gaze was transfixed on his flushed face. That was completely, entirely unfair. If anyone were to look at him right now, they would probably be able to guess in a heartbeat what was going on, _especially_ as Takumi was staring directly at Leon with a weird smile on his face.

And if anyone were to find out about those two...

"Oh, Leon, dear," Camilla suddenly said, immediately resulting in Leon to straighten his back and look to his side at his beloved sister. The smile on her face was sweet, but Leon knew _that look_ and it was anything _but_ sweet. "You've been very quiet today. Normally you're much more... _vocal_."

His sister's creepy smile implied things that he did not want to think about with all of the royals in the room.

Marx stopped his curt remarks at the opposing King for a moment. "Ah, yes, Leon. You have been awfully quiet. Is there anything the matter?"

All eyes turned to the Nohrian Prince. Leon lowered his head slightly, attempting to, in the least obvious way, hide himself from the many stares. It didn't make matters any easier, however, when Leon noticed the positively feral grin that Takumi wore with pride.

Takumi was such a pain.

"Ah..." Leon said, his voice trailing off as he wondered just what the hell he should respond. Was there any way he could justify his silence without anyone assuming another thing? _Eurgh_ , he sighed. All of this was Takumi's fault.

"...I guess I do not have an opinion on the topic as of late," Leon said, expression cool and composed like always (although the slight quiver of his lip, he worried, could give away his all-consuming nervousness). "If either side were to, in a concise and conversational manner, give their side of the argument and why it is efficient for both of the countries' benefits, then I would share my opinion."

The stares did not falter. However, there was an eventual response, with Marx nodding his head in acceptance with Leon's proposal and King Ryouma vocalising his agreement as well. Leon inwardly praised himself for his improvisation, which allowed the suspicious attention to gradually fade away.

Sighing under his breath, Leon found himself, against his better judgement, glancing at Takumi. The Hoshidan Prince's mouth was marginally open — in surprise at getting out of the situation unscathed, it seemed, with the way Takumi's light eyes had widened. But after noticing Leon's eyes on him, Takumi's expression contorted into a devious look; a smirk accompanied Takumi's lips as the boy mouthed his appraisal to Leon for getting out of the situation so flawlessly.

Leon simply glared in response, ignoring the light chuckle that Takumi let out as a result.

"Takumi?" Princess Hinoka stared at the Prince sat beside her, an eyebrow raised curiously. "What are you laughing at?"

Camilla twirled a long strand of her hair around her index finger. "Oh, I bet Prince Takumi finds amusement in Leon's proposal. If you know what I mean." The wink she directed at Takumi and then Leon was probably the worst thing that Leon had ever seen. The dirty connotations of such an action along with the possibility that his own sister had caught him committing the biggest sin known to Nohr… It made Leon want to throw up.

The questioning gazes of the rest of the royal families did not faze Camilla one bit who, whilst still absentmindedly toying with her hair, continued, "Or maybe Prince Takumi thinks the whole idea of keeping these useless buildings is ridiculous too?"

"Absolutely not!" King Ryouma loudly stood to his feet and slammed his hands on the table, startling the youngest Princesses who let out high cries. "Our Takumi would _never_ be in defence of such a _credulous thing!_ "

"But retaining old buildings which could, essentially, be replaced with crops or more homes is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Marx said.

Princess Hinoka let out an impatient sigh. ”Alright, this is getting nowhere," she said, standing up from her chair also and imitating her older brother's stance. Her expression was one of cool intolerance — the frustration welling inside just threatening to burst out, but it was sealed loosely behind her cold exterior. Leon did not know how much longer it would stay inside, but in the interest for everyone else it would be best if Princess Hinoka calmed down.

Everyone directed their curious gazes to Princess Hinoka. Leon thanked the Gods above for the redirection of attention, easily allowing Takumi and himself to wallow in the background.

"King Marx," Princess Hinoka acknowledged, her patience withering, "I understand that you do not agree with what we are saying. But, you must understand that the removal of so many buildings would be a devastating loss to both Hoshido _and_ Nohr. The symbolism that these old buildings convey... it is important to both cultures." Bowing her head in respect, Princess Hinoka continued, "Please consider what we have said. Thank you."

It was silent. The remaining royalty who had not spoken alternated looking between Princess Hinoka and Marx to gauge a possible response. However, combined with Marx's impassive face and Princess Hinoka's subtly defiant expression, it did not seem as if the debate would end any time soon...

...And then Camilla clapped her hands. Once, twice, three times, which immediately brought everyone's attention to her. Leon groaned inwardly. _Great._ Camilla was forever _causing_ issues, _not_ solving them.

"My my," Camilla's mischievous voice echoed through the quiet room, "I hadn't expected Hoshido to have such a powerful woman on their side..." Smiling sweetly (although that familiar grin was anything _but_ sweet, as Leon had experienced earlier), Camilla said, "...I like powerful women."

And that was the final straw pulled in this barn of mayhem.

All at once, everyone shouted over each other. Princess Hinoka had reacted not too happily to Camilla's advances, a furious red as she shouted her promising threats of death; King Ryouma was in defence of his younger sister, accusing Camilla of dirty things, whilst simultaneously arguing that he was right in all of this and King Marx was so, so wrong; Marx was loudly protesting against whatever King Ryouma had said - including his opinion of this debate and his inaccurate accusations of Camilla; Elise was begging everyone to stop the fighting; Princess Sakura had plugged her fingers in her ears to block out the loud noises, humming a song to soothe her worries; and his devil of a sister, Camilla, had merely grinned throughout the whole ordeal, with the occasional agreement with Marx.

The blaring intensity of the royal siblings provided Leon a distraction from their previously dubious remarks. He couldn't help but sigh in relief once again at his luck; no one had found out about what Takumi was doing under the table and Leon had covered himself well enough to prevent any further suspicion.

Everything was good.

Unintentionally, Leon's eyes yet again fell upon the silent Prince before him. Takumi caught Leon's gaze and his lips curved into a small smile. Immediately, Leon turned his attention elsewhere —  _anywhere_ but Takumi — and tried to calm his rapidly beating heart.

Everything was _not_ good.

* * *

"I'm sorry about what I did at the meeting," Takumi had said and then he had the nerve to coyly grin. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

And that was how Leon had found himself at the edge of his bed; the backs of his knees were firm against the bed's end frame, his hands were placed behind him in support of his leant back body, his unclothed legs were spread open and Takumi knelt in between his legs with his mouth attached to his cock.

"O-ohhh..." Leon groaned, his fingers squirming with every jolt of incessant pleasure through his body. Takumi's tongue was fixated on Leon's dick — licking it up and down, side to side, circling the head repeatedly as if to _praise_ him for being so well behaved earlier. His hands were at the mid-section of Leon's cock, feeling his dick up and down with his hands. It was that _feel_ again — that same contrasting texture of rough yet _smooth_ , calloused yet _so soft_ — which seemed to ignite Leon's body with flames and burn him until he disintegrated.

If _that_ didn't make Leon sweat then it was the wonderful sight before him; Takumi — the stubborn Prince of Hoshido — with his wet lips on his cock. Takumi was with him doing _this of all things_ and — and maybe it was the knowledge that Takumi was completely willing to do _anything_ in order to satisfy Leon, even going so far as to expose himself in such a vulnerable and intimate position, or maybe it was the fact that Takumi was just _Takumi_ and being with him, even if it was just the two of them lazing around with chess and shogi pieces scattered across the floor because they were too indecisive and tired to decide what game to play, strangely made Leon really, really happy.

Also, Takumi was really good at sucking his dick. Like, _insanely_ good. Initially, he wasn't as great as he was now — instead preferring to slobber and choke and literally blow on him as opposed to doing some quality sucking — but with a lot of determination and a hell of a lot of practice, Takumi soon became very skilled in this particular area of life.

It was little wonder how Takumi was so talented with the bow.

"Mm, mm, mmm," Takumi drawled, his raspy moans bringing Leon back to the present and vibrating Leon's cock. Instantly, a fresh new wave of pure and utter bliss washed over the entirety of his body; Leon felt his limbs twitchconvulse _burst_ at the hands (and mouth) of Takumi, his toes crinkling every time Takumi's mouth was on his dick and created a suction with his parted, tight lips.

"Ahhh, Takumi..."

Leon looked down with half-lidded eyes at the boy who knelt below him. It was to his light surprise that he found Takumi suddenly touching his own dick, pumping his dick in time with the pace that he was sucking Leon. Leon felt pretty bad that Takumi was doing all the work here — pleasuring both Leon and himself — and so Leon had the sudden urge to want to reach down and touch Takumi's dick as well.

But Leon's eyes had suddenly transfixed themselves on Takumi's face; his cheeks were so red, his fringe was frizzy and stuck to his forehead with sweat, his lips looked so swollen and Takumi's warm, brown eyes were languidly shut as he took Leon's dick even further into his mouth.

Leon had never felt this proud in all his life.

Despite his eyes being closed, Takumi was still so, so skillful; his pace, right now, was so quick and fast and Takumi was just _so_ attentive to Leon's cock, sparing Leon all of his attention and _more_ , consistently touching and licking and sucking it. The strenuous way Takumi was using his mouth must have surely exhausted his jaw, Leon had thought, and the Nohrian Prince almost felt sympathetic for Takumi. However, Leon didn’t want Takumi to stop just yet. Instead, his misty mind had decided that he really, really wanted Takumi to finish him off because this rising pressure in his dick was getting too much to handle now and it was threatening to spurt at any moment but it wasn't quite ready yet—

" _Ah!_ " Leon gasped, a particularly drawn out suck from Takumi having caught him off guard. Against his better judgement, Leon immediately tried to dig his hand into the back of Takumi's hair. It was only when Leon's sweaty hands met Takumi's ponytail that he realised Takumi's hair was still tied up.

With a low growl, Leon muttered, "You don't need it tied up," and swiftly ripped the ribbon from Takumi's hair off. Takumi's locks immediately sprawled behind him, although the ends of his locks remained restricted by that pretty Hoshidan accessory, but the back of his hair was free and so Leon buried his hand there.

Takumi immediately gasped, pulling away from Leon's cock and letting go of his to cast a pissed look up at Leon, but Leon, completely submerged in this constricted moment of euphoria, absentmindedly shoved Takumi's head back onto his cock to continue sucking. Distantly, Leon was surprised that Takumi wasn't being as stubborn as usual and continued sucking him. Leon would have found great amusement in this if it wasn't for the fact that this damn itch in his body — that just so desperately needed to be scratched in order for him to _finally_ find release — was irritating him _so_ much.

"Ahhh, Takumi... I'm so close, I'm so... close..."

This seemed to encourage Takumi to continue his work with his mouth. Leon could barely control his own body — which seemed to betray him in the worst of ways, spasming and trembling every time Takumi made contact with his cock. He found his hand yanking at poor Takumi's hair and Leon felt so bad when he heard a brief cry from Takumi, but he seriously, honestly could not help himself. It was awful, this lack of restraint that the normally composed and controlled Leon had, but he found, in the depths of his once reasonable mind, that he didn't mind losing control if it was with Takumi.

"Takumi...! Taku... mi...! Taku... mi...!"

"Mm...! Mm...! Mm...!"

"Taku —  _Takumi!_ "

It had happened again. Before he could even think, Leon came so quickly in Takumi's mouth; Leon's low moans were barely audible, reverberating in his throat, as they slowly dissolved into the thick air. The hand on the back of Takumi's head stroked his hair up and down in what Leon thought was a comforting and supportive way, although it unintentionally mimicked the same movements that Takumi’s hands had used on Leon just moments before. Leon, however, was completely oblivious to this fact and instead focused on his seemingly endless come. The vast quantity of it gradually filled Takumi's mouth until it _couldn't_ and so the remainder of it slyly dribbled down his chin.

And yet Takumi did not falter. Not even once. His aching jaw had automatically swallowed Leon's come and even when Leon had gone overboard, Takumi's tired mouth remained fixed on his cock until every last drop was emptied. Takumi _literally_ took his breath away.

Leon couldn't help but smile to himself. In the least patronising way possible, Leon thought that Takumi was a trooper.

Takumi pulled away from Leon's cock, swallowing a gulp and then frowning a little. "I can never get used to the taste..."

Panting quietly under his breath, still recovering from such an overheating moment, Leon's eyes focused on the messy boy before him. There was just something absolutely precious about Takumi in this moment; he was completely undone, having come too, Leon realised late, his long hair tousled and somewhat frizzy from where Leon's hand had been and his once clothed body now reduced to just a bunch of bandages across his chest. Oh and if that wasn't enough, the little bit left of Leon's come was _still_ on Takumi's chin.

Slowly, Leon lowered his hands to gently cup Takumi's face. Takumi immediately stilled at Leon's touch. Instead, his breath hitched in his throat and his eyes widened in curiosity and concern. This completely innocent look that Takumi wore — under-layered with many other fleeting feelings that Leon could not identify — made Leon's heart swell with overflowing affection.

Leon tried his utmost best to conceal a blush. Instead, Leon used his left hand to raise Takumi's chin up so that Takumi was directly looking up at him. Their eyes were fixed on each other for a moment and Leon felt his heart thudthudthud under Takumi's warm eyes.

Lowering his head slightly — because there was no way Leon would be able to look at Takumi with such a stupidly flustered face — Leon mumbled, "T-thank you... you did a good job."

A smile spread on Takumi's face; the corners of his lips curved upwards and crinkled, Leon consequently feeling the muscles near Takumi's mouth move as his hands continued cupping Takumi's face. The varied emotions that Takumi's face seemed to convey were always so intriguing to Leon.

"It's only 'cause it's you..." Takumi said, his head lowering as much as it could under the restriction of Leon's hands. Takumi's cheeks were now dusted in light shades of pink — the same light pink that was found in Elise's room — and Leon found great solace in the fact that Takumi was as embarrassed as he was.

Leon smiled to himself. "Well, I appreciate that. A lot. So thank you."

Takumi looked up at Leon, mouth open marginally in shock and eyes wide. His eyes trembled, but his gaze was ever permanent on Leon.

With a noncommittal sigh, Leon chuckled as he used his right thumb to wipe the remaining come off Takumi's chin. "You forgot some," he said, tone light, a gentle smile on his lips. Leon then lowered his hands to his side and stared at Takumi until he reacted.

Takumi immediately grew flustered, looking to his side suddenly. "O-oh, that's embarrassing..."

Leon smiled warmly. "No it's not," he said, pushing Takumi's fringe back and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. "It's cute."

"I am not cute, Leon," Takumi quickly retaliated, stubbornly crossing his arms. "I _am_ a man, you know."

Leon had almost laughed at the appearance of a rather haughty Prince, but suddenly the severity of _this_ situation — whatever you called two men in love because Leon knew that a man and a woman could do what they were doing and it would still be called love, but if a man and a man were doing what they were doing then Nohr would call it criminal — thrust itself onto him like a large pile of bricks.

Because the reality of it all was really, at the end of the day, it was completely _wrong_ for Leon to be like this with _another man_.

The sudden guiltiness that twisted in his stomach was not unusual.

"...Right," Leon said. "You're right. You are."

And then Leon moved away from Takumi, turning his back on him as he gathered his removed clothes and redressed himself. He didn't shove his clothes on quickly, but instead Leon worked at a slow, gruelling pace. His mind just wasn't coherent at the moment and he needed time to think.

"...Leon?" Takumi's voice was quiet — confused and so, so concerned — and the hesitance with Takumi's low voice made Leon's heart ache. "Is everything okay?"

Leon straightened his black, long-sleeved shirt, readjusting it so that at least something looked presentable. "Yeah, yeah, I just remembered that Marx wanted to talk to me about something."

Takumi watched as Leon put on his final articles of clothing. His expression was unreadable, although the small frown on his face did not go unnoticed. "Um, ok..."

Leon knew he couldn't stay any longer. Just the thought of someone catching them now... oh _Gods_ , they had been _so_ careless! And what if Marx had actually needed to talk to Leon? If he had ventured into his room any time between now and ten minutes ago then Marx would have surely denounced Leon from his Prince title and thrown him on the streets.

Didn't they understand how _wrong_ this all was?

“…Leon?”

Ah, yes. The sound of sin.

It had never sounded so sad before.

"...You ripped my ribbon."

Leon would have retaliated with some witty comment had the thick, tense air not completely suffocated him and rendered all speech useless. Instead, Leon finished putting on his black boots and approached his room's door. His hand slowly encircled the door knob. He needed time to think, time to get away from all of _this_ , and so his best bet at removing himself momentarily from this situation was going to the library and finding some interesting books to read. At least for a couple of hours he could distract himself from the cruel reality that he lived in.

"...Leon?" Oh, but such a cruel reality came with such a wonderful gift. Leon couldn't ignore Takumi forever — even if the universe were to split up, it would be impossible — and so the hand on the door knob finally let go.

Turning his head, Leon responded, "Hm?"

His expression, he believed, had never been this apathetic before.

Takumi's head was lowered when Leon saw him. His long hair — so soft when Leon had touched it, so smooth between his fingers — hid his face. Leon could, however, make out Takumi's hands, which were shaking in his lap.

Oh _Gods_ , just what had Leon done?

Then Takumi revealed his face and Gods did Leon feel guilty. His expression was _so_ distressed — his eyebrows so furrowed, his eyes so wide and filled with such concern and _desperation_. The fact that Leon had caused Takumi this much level of worry and pain... It truly crushed his heart.

"Takumi...?" Leon whispered, voice hoarse. He hadn't realised how dehydrated he was, or maybe it was Leon's anxiousness and stress wearing him out.

And then, with a voice so quiet and hollow — one so unfitting for Takumi because Takumi deserved to be everything _but_ the epitome of loneliness — Takumi whispered, "...Are you going to run away?"

Leon froze. "Huh?"

Takumi's head remained lowered. "From this," he reiterated. Takumi then took a deep, albeit shaky, breath, as he said, "...Are you going to run away from _this?_ "

Leon's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. What? Did Takumi... No. He didn't know _anything_ anymore; he didn't know what to say, what to _do_ , but most importantly what to respond when the love of your life truly believed you would be leaving them alone.

But to Leon, he didn't know if Takumi's doubts were true or not and _that_ worried him. Sure, he had concluded he was just going to take a momentary break from _all of this_ , rest in the library for a few hours, but he never... he never really thought of running away, did he? He never thought of giving up on their relationship for good... _right?_

Leon shook his head. No, none of _this_ was right. Why was he taking so long to reply? Why was he questioning himself? Surely it should be a simple answer —  _especially_ when Takumi was involved.

With a little sigh and a burdened mind, Leon eventually replied, "...No. I'm not going to."

It was against his better judgement, but Leon couldn't stop himself. He had approached a kneeling Takumi, grabbed his hands with his shaky ones and waited for Takumi to look up at him. When Takumi finally had, Leon ignored the gut wrenching feeling he got when he noticed the dried tears on his eyelashes and his expression of pure sorrow. Rather, Leon squeezed Takumi's hands tighter, gaining brief comfort in Takumi's expression changing into one of shock because at least Takumi had reacted, and said, "I'm not going to run away from us."

Leon hadn't quite expected Takumi's eyes to glisten with tears. He did, however, expect Takumi to frown and nod his head in determination.

That was what he did as well.

But the biggest surprise for Leon was when Takumi's ever changing expressions changed to one of happiness; because before the Prince of Nohr was his happiness, cloaked in bandages and a cruel world full of empty promises, and seeing him smile at him at least let the rejected beast in his mind sleep with ease.

For now, it could rest.

"Ok," Takumi said, his smile content and pure. "Ok. If you're so sure, then... then it's ok."

Leon squeezed his hands tighter as a smile formed on his lips. Then Leon pushed Takumi's fringe back once again, sealing his promise with a gentle kiss on Takumi's forehead.

Takumi’s cheeks immediately flustered. "H-hey, why..."

Leon pulled away from Takumi and, ignoring the burning on his cheeks, said, "I'm not going to run away."

The smile on Takumi's lips could not be forgotten.

* * *

The ballroom in Hoshido's castle was not to be judged amateurishly. It was, simply put, a credit to the country: the room was so vast that the very end of it could not be seen, especially with so many people in the room; various whites and reds adorned the large room in many streams of thick ribbons; populous pillars were spread throughout the entire room; a section of the room was dedicated to beverages and nourishments, essentially a food buffet, although there was an ice sculpture which bore the appearance of the late Queen; and the grand chandelier at the centre of the ceiling was absolutely breathtaking.

Leon enjoyed the minimal lighting that accompanied the room. It was incredibly refreshing, he thought, because at least this way he would most likely fade into the background and so no one would make small talk with him. He wasn't in the mood to talk right now.

Instead, Leon watched from the food buffet as everyone celebrated the first anniversary of the recent war's conclusion. Marx and King Ryouma were standing beside just one of the many pillars in the room, a glass of wine in their hands as they strangely indulged in a civil conversation. Kamui, on the other hand, led the dance between her and Princess Aqua, gripping Princess Aqua's hands and spinning her quickly around. His sister was incredibly loud and boisterous, Leon found, and yet Princess Aqua still smiled and giggled as if Kamui wasn't bumping into every other couple. His remaining sisters danced with the Hoshidan Princesses, Elise dragging a protesting Princess Sakura through the large crowd and Camilla twirling a surprisingly laughing Princess Hinoka around.

Leon briefly wondered if Princess Hinoka no longer wanted to execute his older sister. Leon also wondered where Takumi was.

Regardless, it was nice to see everyone getting along so well. The fact that they had all originally been enemies and were now at peace with one another was very refreshing.

Drinking the wine in his glass, Leon absentmindedly tapped his foot in time with the music that was being played. The band, who were situated on top of the stage at the far end of the hall, was a traditional Hoshidan one; they used a variety of instruments — such as strings, flutes and percussions — as well as stuck to a polyphonic layer. The music was loud and very upbeat, making Leon's urge to dance too great. There was just something about the way the band's music never once clashed. There was no note off key — intentionally or not — and Leon found great joy in the lack of dissonance. Perhaps it was because the use of consonance made everything seem at peace, as if they lived in a world without flaws and in a permanent state of equilibrium.

For now, they could rest.

"Enjoying the music?"

Leon turned around inquisitively, glass still in hand. _Oh._ He recognised that warm smile.

Takumi took the glass from Leon's hand, drunk a little of the wine and then wrinkled his nose in what was most likely disgust. "Too strong," he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, before giving the glass back to Leon. Takumi ignored Leon's raised eyebrow, instead saying, "I knew you'd like this band."

Leon tilted his head a bit as he looked down at Takumi. Oh. So Takumi had come to that conclusion _how?_ It wasn't anything Leon was stressed about, but more the fact that Leon was sort of intrigued by Takumi's judgement regarding himself. Did Takumi _truly_ think he knew what Leon liked and didn't like? _Especially_ in regards to a culture that Leon himself was not perfectly educated in and thus had not formed a solid opinion about?

But as the music continued and Leon's foot consequently tapped in time with its beat, Leon knew that Takumi wasn't wrong. He _did_ like the band, it seemed.

In all seriousness though, since when was Takumi ever wrong about Leon?

Leon raised the glass to his lips, finished the drink, and then placed the empty glass on the food buffet's table beside him. "They've used so many layers and yet the music does not clash once. It's... refreshing hearing music without dissonance."

Takumi smiled, nodding his head. "That's what I thought too." Takumi then turned his head to look at the band. A proud smile grew on Takumi’s lips — as if the band was like a precious child and Takumi their mother, Leon thought — before he turned back around to face Leon. "See, I particularly like when the two flutes, both at least an octave away from each other, harmonise with one another. It sounds so beautiful."

"Ah, yes," Leon said, his eyes suddenly transfixed on Takumi's face. Takumi's jaw line was not as angular as King Ryouma's, nor was it as delicate as Princess Sakura's. It was interesting, for a reason Leon could not comprehend, and so he couldn't look away. Distantly, Leon's voice had worked by itself, continuing, "It's that homophonic texture that sounds amazing."

Takumi's smile never wavered. "Isn't it just? I think that's what I enjoy most. It’s like there’s so much energy, so much company, so much to celebrate.” The Hoshidan Prince was silent now, arms crossed as he watched the band. Takumi tapped his fingers in time with the rhythm of the score and Leon found this interesting to watch (for another strange reason he did not understand).

It was silent between the two Princes. Leon knew he should break this stillness and continue conversing with Takumi, but he honestly did not want to. He didn't know why, and maybe his withering mind was courtesy of the sin he incessantly repeated, but Leon found some comfort and bliss in Takumi's peaceful silence. It was the knowledge that Takumi was enjoying the band so much that he just had to be quiet so that he could truly take it all in; Takumi was comfortable enough to stand in silence with Leon whilst he focused on what he enjoyed. In that moment, Takumi was appreciative and happy.

The band's music was suddenly much more enjoyable.

"That's a biwa," Takumi abruptly said, gesturing to a stringed instrument on the right wing of the stage. The instrument was a lute with an incredibly short neck. "It is the chosen instrument of one of our Hoshidan Goddesses, the Goddess of everything that flows." Sighing contently, Takumi then said, "A biwa is one of the oldest traditional Hoshidan instruments. It is heavy and only has four strings, but it makes such beautiful sounds."

"Wow," Leon said, a low whistle following after. "That's really impressive. And interesting, too." Leon then pointed to the instrument in front of the aforementioned instrument. "What about that instrument? What is its name?"

"A ryūteki," Takumi immediately replied, a smile permanent on his lips. "It's a flute which plays at roughly a medium octave. The flute is played horizontally and it's made of bamboo. Pretty cool, huh?"

Leon smiled. "Yeah, it's pretty cool. Now what about that one—"

Before Leon could finish his sentence, Takumi, caught up in his excitement, identified and described the complete set of instruments on the stage. The amount of information that Takumi had recited to Leon made his head spin dizzily. He had _tried_ his very best to remember everything Takumi had told him — what instrument was what, what date they had been introduced into Hoshido, what they represented, what specific notes they played best, whatwhat _what_ — but Takumi had spoken so quickly in excitement and took no time to pause in-between, which eventually exhausted Leon into a temporary state of fatigue. Takumi's pride about his culture was so endearing, but - but couldn't Takumi explain to him a little slower? Check his understanding with a quick question testing him? If Leon were to know all of this, it was going to have to take a few times repeating this knowledge in order for him to remember it all.

"And this instrument—woah, ha, sorry..." Takumi looked down at his feet, suddenly sheepish. "I guess I got a little carried away there..."

The weariness on Leon's face did not disappear, but that did not stop a small smile subconsciously tugging at his lips. "No, don't worry. I found it interesting."

Takumi, his content smile absentminded, tilted his head questioningly. "Oh?" The smile on his lips enlarged, his eyes bright despite there being little light in the room. Leon was sure his heart would collapse any time soon.

Takumi's eyes flickered to the floor for a moment, contemplating, and then to Leon. His expression was crossed between a smile and a frown, as if Takumi was happy but that cause of his happiness was questionably wrong. Regardless, Takumi shook his head, clearing all thoughts, and asked, "Would you like to dance, Leon?"

The hand offered to him shook.

Quickly, Leon scanned his surroundings. Alright, so everyone was pretty occupied with themselves and — and even if they _were_ to look at the two of them dancing together, Leon could always justify it with, "Oh but you guys were dancing together so why couldn't we,” and, "I've had a lot to drink".

...Of course he knew that  _neither_ answers would suffice. First, the only people dancing were either both girls or straight couples. That, by itself, was a _big_ no-no. Second, a single glass of wine was not enough to constitute as "over drinking" and consequently "not capable of using reason".

Even without the wine Leon had trouble reasoning.

But under the gaze of Takumi's bashful, patient eyes, Leon was weak. And so — with a quiet, reluctant sigh — Leon took Takumi's hand in his and led them both onto the main floor (near the isolated far right side, mind, just in case).

When they stopped walking, Takumi faced Leon and Leon had the abrupt need to groan into his hands. The grin on Takumi's face did little to ease his worries, but it did, for the least part, make Leon weakly smile back, too.

"I'll lead," Takumi said, placing his hands on Leon's waist and pulling him closer to him. Leon had flinched at the immediacy of the action, but Takumi paid that no heed. Instead, Takumi removed a hand from Leon's waist and instructed Leon where to place his hands — his left hand on Takumi's shoulder whilst his right with Takumi's now free hand. "Up to the ceiling almost," Takumi had said when he held Leon's hand, pointing their joined hands far ahead. Leon, forever a perfectionist, had mumbled that their hands were, in fact, nowhere near the ceiling, but he did not care to vocalise his thoughts again when Takumi had asked just what Leon had said. Instead, Takumi was seemingly content with Leon’s grumble of "Nothing" and so hummed to himself whilst moving to the now slow music. Leon had not noticed the music change — and it was _so_ drastic, too, the score now reduced to a thin layer of little instruments — but his mind did not seem too care much, especially when it was preoccupied with other thoughts.

Leon exhaled a shaky breath. What if someone was watching them? As it was, they would be so noticeable — even if they hid away in a far section like they were now — because the only people dancing on the floor were couples, he realised late. All of his sisters had left the main floor to go elsewhere and Marx, along with King Ryouma, were nowhere in sight.

There was such a big chance that someone could find them, like _this_ , in a place reserved for only couples...

They would be right to assume that Leon was involved with a man.

Takumi suddenly stopped moving, instead pulling away from Leon. Leon's eyes widened and his heart froze in complete worry and dread. Oh _Gods_ , had Takumi found out about Leon's reluctance and now... _Gods_ , Leon was _such_ an idiot—

"It's not hard," Takumi whispered into his ear. Wait, since when was Takumi so _close_ to him? And when were Takumi's arms wrapped around his _neck?_ Not to mention since when did Leon forget the innate ability to _breathe_...

Takumi chuckled. "Don't worry about the dancing, Leon. All you do is move side to side." Then, positioning Leon's hands onto his hips quite pointedly, Takumi said, "But you _must_ keep your hands on my hips, ok?"

Leon nervously swallowed the sudden saliva in his mouth. Takumi had mistaken Leon's stiffness for him not being able to dance... Well, it wasn't like that _wasn't_ the case, but...

"O-ok," Leon said, face flustered.

Takumi simply smiled to himself. "Please don't be nervous. It's not difficult to execute and, even if you were to fail, nobody would see as nobody is looking."

Before he knew it, a relieved sigh escaped his mouth. "Thank the Gods... ok. Thank you."

"It's not a problem," Takumi said, smile still in place. Takumi distractedly swayed his hips left and right as he looked up at Leon who was, with a frown, concentrating intently on the specific movements of Takumi's hips and feet. Right, if he analysed the precise way Takumi moved his limbs, he would be able to emulate said movements and dance perfectly.

Takumi watched as Leon gradually got the hang of the simple dance. Leon had put a lot of concentration and effort into this, which deepened Takumi's smile.

"Thank you for doing this for me, Leon," Takumi said. His gaze remained fixed on Leon who, up until that moment, was staring resolvedly at their feet. At the sound of Takumi's voice, Leon immediately looked down at him.

His expression was so warm, as was his heart. The way Takumi's eyes were shining again, his lips now permanently curled in a gentle smile, filled Leon's chest with such warmth it almost melted him. It was that same feeling — that same warm, serene feeling — Leon felt whenever he had a tomato soup before bed. The relaxing heat would spread through his chest and ease all of his worries.

Leon's eyes remained fixed on Takumi. Distractedly, Leon replied, "...It's ok, Takumi."

And then Takumi beamed so widely it absolutely _destroyed_ Leon's heart — made it combust, in fact, in complete and utter self loathing — and he just didn't know what to do. It didn't make matters easier when Takumi then shoved his head onto Leon's chest and wrapped his arms tightly around his back. Leon had been caught off guard, his hands suddenly ripped off Takumi's hips, but then Takumi smiled up at him and it was all okay as Takumi readjusted Leon's hands onto his hips again and embraced him once more. His head was now resting on Leon's chest once again and Leon hated the way his hands moved at their own accord and tangled themselves in Takumi's tied-up hair.

It was just the two of them now.

Their hips slowly moved side to side, Leon pressing Takumi tighter into his chest whilst he caressed Takumi's hair up and down. No longer did it feel like Leon was stuck in a claustrophobic, dictating room; the room, once a cesspool, had been magically depleted of all of the vile, nauseating things — the cruel one standardness imposed on them, the God-like judgements that could be cast on them and the all gluttonous guilt gorging his entire body. Now, the room was entirely silent with just Leon and Takumi, the two of them, forever and ever, locked in a sweet, sweet embrace—

"I love you, Leon."

And how ironic it was, that that one emotion — that _one_ emotion which Leon had _finally_ accepted into his heart, had literally embraced with open arms and taken him away from this cruel world — was the one to pull Leon back into this harsh reality.

Immediately, Leon startled and pushed Takumi away from him. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open in shock. No, oh _Gods_ no, that wasn't fair, _that really wasn't fair_ , why couldn't he just accept it, no one was looking, were they, but he had to make sure, he had to be careful, he had to—

And then Takumi looked at Leon with such hurt, _pained_ eyes, their largeness questioning the complete _insanity_ of this whole situation, probably wondering just what the _hell_ was wrong with Leon to push him away even though he had held him tighter just moments before.

"Leon? What was that all about?” Takumi asked, genuine and _pure_. “Did I do something wrong?" Takumi’s expression was so so quizzical and equally so so desperate — for an explanation, _for a second chance_ , and Leon hated how much power he had over this once stubborn and seemingly uncaring boy because Leon could literally destroy him and Takumi deserved so much better than that.

"N-no, Takumi," Leon said, quickly examining the unending hall, his head so _so_ dizzy as he rapidly looked either side of him, _just in case_ , and yet no matter how many times he deciphered this dark place into the tiniest of details — including that one damn couple who just couldn't stop embracing each other in that same way that Leon and Takumi had just mere, precious moments ago — or completely tore it apart with varied analytical techniques, Leon's mind was never at ease. The chance that anyone, at any moment, could have spotted them together — just like a typical couple except they _weren't_ because they were both _boys_  — plagued Leon's mind with dense toxic.

"I can't," Leon said, mind flickering between red and black, eyes still so wide and mouth still so open. "I'm sorry, Takumi," he said once more, his entire body now shaking and his eyes trembling and even his mouth was quivering too, "but I _can't_."

Leon had left the ballroom and sprinted to the hallway before anything else could be said. _No_ , he had to get out of here _fast_ , before anyone noticed what was done, what had just been committed, and so Leon would have to run run run —  _just in case_ , he convinced himself, _just in case_ —

"Leon! Wait!"

Takumi lunged for Leon's wrist, his grip so tight and his fingers digging clumsily into his skin —  _he's scared_ , Leon distantly thought, _Takumi's acting so irrationally and unintentionally hurting me because he's scared_.

Leon allowed himself to look at Takumi. Takumi's face was one of completely desperation: his fringe had split in half and the strands dangled pitifully on his forehead from when he had ran; his mouth was no longer smiling like it had done all too often recently, but it was essentially an upturned smile and hung open uselessly; and his eyes... oh _Gods_ , his once warm, soft eyes were now completely _distraught_ and filled with so many innocent questions like _why do you run away_ , _why do you look at me with a sad smile_ and _why don't you say you love me_.

Leon couldn't take it anymore. He had to go _now_.

"Takumi, let me go—"

" _No_ , Leon!" Takumi cried, his face a furious red. "You told me you weren't going to run away and now look at _this!_ You act so strange now because some days you're normal and we do normal things and hug and kiss and all that, and then other days you're like _this!_ Completely ignorant of everything you said you would _never do!_ " Takumi let out deep breaths, his anger clearly controlling all rational thought. "And now you're going to run away, just like you've always done! You're going to pick me up whenever you feel like it and then just drop me like I'm — like I'm..." Takumi, silent for a moment as he tried so, so desperately to gather his scribbly thoughts, eventually whispered with such a quiet, fragile voice, "...Like I'm worthless."

Leon's face paled. "Oh _Gods_ no, Takumi, you're not worthless, you're _so_ not worthless, oh Gods, Takumi, you're far from that, you're—"

"Then how come you never say you love me?!" Takumi suddenly shouted, hot tears springing from his eyes and flailing with his reverberating voice.

Leon hadn't quite expected the destruction of his heart.

Takumi was absolutely _devastated_ — in such _pain_ — when he had done _nothing_ to deserve it. It didn't help that Takumi already suffered with crippling insecurities and was mentally so vulnerable and — and Leon knew this, knew all of this, and yet he still didn't take into consideration poor Takumi's feelings throughout all of _this_. After all, it took two people to work in a relationship and there was definitely two of them. Two men, yes.

_But two men could never be in a relationship…_

Impulsively, Leon's eyes wondered the area surrounding them. No one was there, no one could hear them, it was ok, Leon could get through this, he could comfort Takumi, he could help him out, he could show him just how _not_ worthless he was, just how _God damn much he loved him_ , because Leon did, from the bottom of his useless heart to the desired heavens above, love Takumi _so, so much_...

"Leon, you _know_ I love you!" Takumi's voice raised higher, his nose sniffling and the tears dripping off his chin. That sight — the liquid once stuck to his chin — reminded Leon of their happier days, where it was just the two of them, stuck in a limited eternity.

"I love you, Leon!" Takumi shouted. "I love you so much it almost _hurts_ and yet you—"

Leon shoved his lips onto Takumi's, immediately pushing deeper onto the shocked boy, raising his free hand to cup the side of Takumi's face and bring him even closer to him. Takumi had startled, releasing a muffled cry onto Leon's lips, and unintentionally let go of his grip on Leon's wrist.

In the back of his mind Leon was grateful for Takumi letting him go.

Leon's now free hand held the other side of Takumi's face, his lips pressing harder and harder against Takumi's. Leon opened his mouth and slipped his tongue inside Takumi's, relishing distantly in the moan that followed after, and toyed with the inside of Takumi's mouth. He didn't know what he was doing, what his aim was, but all of these overheating feelings had overwhelmed him so much that he acted without reason.

And then Leon pulled away, just as the two of them were getting into it, and looked down at Takumi. His hands remained cupping his face, allowing Leon a direct view of Takumi. It wasn't unusual for Takumi to look so messy after being with Leon, but no matter how many times Leon saw him in such a state, Leon could not get over the fact that someone so beautiful was before him.

Acting out of his own accord, Leon's thumbs gently wiped the dried tears beneath Takumi's eyes. Takumi's eyes had fluttered shut, his deep breaths shallow and quiet but still heard nonetheless. Leon almost smiled.

"...I thought..." Takumi whispered, his quiet voice startling Leon for a moment, "...I thought you didn't love me—"

Leon kissed him again, this time wrapping his arm around Takumi's waist, pressing so so close into Takumi's body that it was suffocating. Then Leon used his free hand to tangle with Takumi's, squeezing it tightly, hoping that all of _this_ could speak those precious words that he couldn't.

Slowly, Leon lowered their joined hands, pulled his lips off Takumi's and opened his eyes.

"Follow me," he breathed and Takumi, with a doubtful expression, eventually nodded his head twice.

The walls of the closet at the end of the hallway were not thick enough to block out Takumi's cries.

* * *

 

Leon was on top of Takumi, his head resting on his chest. Takumi's fingers were in his hair — not doing anything, really, but just feeling it. He wanted to _feel_ Leon, to experience every little thing that he could offer, and Leon knew that so well it _hurt_.

Leon nuzzled his head into Takumi's chest. He didn't want to think right now.

But as Takumi absentmindedly toyed with Leon's hair, the soft strands of hair falling in-between his fingers tickling him, he said, "I really do love you, Leon."

And then Leon had got up, ignored a confused Takumi and quickly shoved on his everyday clothes. Throughout this ordeal, he had located Takumi's clothes, which had been flung everywhere, and made his way towards Takumi. His mind, his _stupid_ mind, was not cooperating with him as of late, but if he could just get out of here _quickly_ then maybe he could actually _think_ —

"Leon? What are you doing?" Takumi asked, and _oh Gods_ , Leon knew at that moment that he was the worst person in the entire world. Takumi’s eyes were so confused, so _concerned_ ; his eyes were just _begging_ for an explanation, _begging_ for him to stop running away and begging for him to love him. But the Prince of Hoshido — so stubborn, so apathetic, so set in his own ways and yet filled with so much love — deserved far more than empty promises and broken dreams.

If only Leon didn’t react the way he did whenever the words illustrating _them_ and _their wrong relationship_ was declared so publicly. The stupid thoughts in his mind seemed to rise like a wildfire with the simple mention of that one emotion that was supposed to _free_ you —  _not_ trap you, as it had been doing so as of late. Those toxic thoughts, mixed with the everlasting guilt and stressed effect it induced, spread through the entirety of his body, mostly consisting of _you know it's wrong_ , _you know it's so wrong_ , _what would your family say_ and the odd _what is love anyways_.

Leon knew what love was. Love was in the form of the man who sat before him.

"...I'm sorry, Takumi," Leon said, leaning down to Takumi's height and placing his clothes before him. Then Leon straightened his posture and stood tall, turning his back on Takumi and approaching the door, not before saying, "...I cannot love you."

And then he ran away.


End file.
